Sport Trac rims

[Ted Best]

Hey all...one of the bolts that holds the caliper to my rotor fell out while i was driving(which by the way makes a very ugly noise). When i came out the next morning my tire was flat. apparently my rotor rubbed up against my rim and wore it down enough for air to escape out of it. is there anyway to repair it? or should i just choke it up and buy another one?



also i'm at work without my truck, what is the standard wheel size for a 2002 ST? does anyone know any good places to buy wheels cheap? i'm in Jersey.



thanks guys

Ted

 

[David Gianquitti]

My opinion is buy another tire. I believe the standard size is 235x 70 x 16 there is an option size tire 255. Never heard of the bolt coming out like that. Not from Jersey but pep boys usually has reasonable prices on tires. Sorry to hear that happen good luck.

 

[Travis Munday]

The standard wheel size is 16x7. A good palce is a junkyard, may not be the cheapest, but probably the easiest.



Who was the last to do work on the brake system? You should make them (if it's not you) pay for a new wheel and the mounting fee the shop will charge.



I once did wheel bearings on a Jag, and when I put the thing back together, I asked a fellow tech if I could borrow some saftey wire "Aw, don't worry about wiring that POS"; so I didn't. About a week later it came back with one of the caliper mounting bolts missing....which I wanted to wire, but was told not to. Guess who got in trouble for that one.... Luckily the guy lived close by and it wasn't a big deal. I loc-tited and wired the damn thing back together the second time.

 

[Ted Best]

Unfortunately or fortunately(depends on how you look at it) it was me who last did the brakes. i've never done them before. a friend was helping me. i guess i didn't tighten the bolt enough. it was an expensive mistake. it sucks but i can only look at it as a learning experience.



i was really hoping to be able to repair the wheel some way. it's in great condition other than the inside of the wheel leaking air.

 

[Travis Munday]

I can't remember, but are the caliper mounting bolts for the ST drilled for saftey wire? If it is, there will be holes on the flats of the bolt head...you put wire through the hole, all the way through the bolt, and wrap it in such a way around the spindle the the bolt cannot loosen from vibration. Blue loc-tite is also a good idea, espically if no holes for wire are present. It seems modern cars are getting away from safety wire due to the hassles of it.



As far as wheel repair, you're better off getting a new on. You could weld the wheel back to hold air and grind it smooth, but the localized heat from the welding would weaken that area of the wheel. Not to mention that the wheels are aluminum which requires the use of a TIG welder, which is usually the most expensive welder and takes more skill then MIG/flux welders. Not to mention that the wheel would now be very heavy where the welding took place and would require a lot of counterweight when balancing.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Replace it. Fixing it will throw off the balance more than likely as well as always be a safety issue. If you ever get into an accident and it is a result of that tire going flat they will do everything possible to blame you and the repairer of the rim.



I can get you a rim if you dont find something locally.

 

[Ted Best]

yeah i forgot about the balancing issue. very good point. i started looking for a new wheel online. i didn't get to look for too long but i found one for $195. is that about right?



there's a pic of it and it looks like its in mint condition and it comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty